A close friend of Harlem-born rapper Freaky Zeeky “went to his defense” after two men pulled out a gun when a fight over a fender bender turned into a wild shootout, police sources told The Post yesterday.

Eric Mangrum, 28, was shot in the chest and shoulder after getting into a fight with passengers in another car at around 3 a.m. Friday near 22nd Street and Fifth Avenue.

The shooting happened after Freaky Zeeky, Mangrum and two other childhood friends were on their way to the popular Cheetah club in Chelsea when their white Jeep Cherokee collided with a four-door silver sedan carrying four men and a woman.

Cops said that both sides decided to “settle” the matter around the corner.

They tried to reach a deal on how much cash should be exchanged for the damage when the dispute escalated from shoves and punches to gunplay, sources said.

That’s when Mangrum tried to intervene and was shot twice, sources said.

“He was a real friend; that’s why he was murdered,” said Eric Mangrum’s girlfriend, who spoke to those who were there. “That’s the type of man he was.”

She said Mangrum and Freaky Zeeky, 27, whose given name is Ezekiel Jiles, were close friends.

Jiles, a member of the hip-hop group The Diplomats, was in serious but stable condition at St. Vincents Hospital yesterday after he was shot in the chest and abdomen.

Friends said Mangrum often acted as a Jiles’ bodyguard.

“He was a peacemaker,” said Mangrum’s friend Donna, who did not want to give her last name. “Everyone loved him.”